romancing the disease

please, if you will, take a few moments to examine the following lyrics to "la grippe" by the squirrel nut zippers.

Theres a flu bug getting passed around
And its spreading like fire through the town
Theres a virus holing up inside us
Everyone that I know is coming down
Theres an asian influenza
Infecting us all by the score
And its turning into pneumonia
We must go out once more
Theres a fool moon howling at the night
And its bark is much worse than its bite
So we must go out and dance around
Yes we must go tonight
So the doctors came on the evening train
With their flasks and their caskets and vials
Mass psychosis was their diagnosis (yes)
So we all cashed our checks and went wild
Theres a fool moon howling at the night
And its bark is much worse than its bite
So we must go out and dance around
Yes we must go tonight
La grippe!, salsa!

in these lyrics the disease is romantized with a kind of devil may care attitude. we're all going to die so lets at least have some fun first. F-it all, lets party. i think of doc holiday. sickly bastard. tuberculosis. but Godblessit, he drank, gambled, screwed, and killed men who got in his way. hooray & hoorah!

when i fall ill with the flu, i too put on this air of "devil may care".

it lasts for about 2 minutes however, because when your sick, "fun" as it were, does not exist. if you normally fancy watching the hibachi man cook your food in front of you, well with the flu it becomes something of a nightmare with flames, grotesque foodstuffs, alcoholics, gorging fat people, and trailer trash trying to get cultured.

if you normally like playing outdoors sports, with the flu it becomes a survival of the fittest with your ego, family honor, and country at stake. well you get the picture.

now if you will excuse me, i need to try and cough up some phlegm.